Venture out! Be adventurous. Live on the edge of your competence. Try new things constantly.


Risk-taking in and of itself is not necessarily a good thing, but to try new things and to risk failure is part of the process of growth. The expression, "nothing ventured, nothing gained" has a real ring of truth to it. The videos below illustrate two aspects of taking responsible risks. The first, from TEDtalks, presents us with a stunt man who is planning to break the world record for the highest ever skydive at 120,000ft. This risk might seem insane, but his level of preparation and his knowledge of his field still demonstrate the spirit of taking a responsible risk. The second video, from Nike, shows us the value of failure. Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest athlete of all time, connects his failures to his successes.



TED:Steve Truglia: A leap from the edge of space


Nike: Michael Jordan 'Failure' commercial